Module 1 Concepts: Adverbs

An ADVERB is a form-class word; frequently can move in its sentence; usually modifies verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or the whole sentence.

Prototypical adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, and whole sentences. They share many inflectional and derivational morphemes with adjectives. No single formal or functional characteristic can identify every adverb.

You can only be sure a word is an adverb if it fits the frame sentence. The frame sentence can be any complete sentence with a final slot available for an optional adverb. For example, the frame sentence could be:

• The woman walked her dog _____.

• The man told his story _____.

• The child cried _____.

• The dog ate his bone _____.

Prototypical adverbs like slow, slowly, fast, gladly, mechanically, and basically fit these sentences and have other characteristics of prototypical adverbs:

Has an adverb-making morpheme:

slowly

gladly

mechanically

basically

Takes a comparative or superlative morpheme:

faster, fastest

slower, slowest

Can be made comparative or superlative by using more or most:

more gladly, more mechanically

most gladly, most mechanically

Can be qualified:

rather slowly

very fast

quite gladly

most basically

Can be moved within a sentence:

He ate gladly.

He gladly ate.

Gladly he ate.

Some adverbs are peripheral cases because they do not fit a majority of the adverb tests:

1. Adverb-making morpheme

2. Comparative or Superlative (inflectional morpheme)

3. Comparative or Superlative (more or most)

4. Move in its sentence

5. Can fit the adverb frame sentence: The man told his story __.

The fewer adverb characteristics a word has, the more peripheral it becomes as a possible adverb.

Members of all four form classes can be divided into further subclasses based on certain semantic features. These features often have grammatical consequences. Adverb subclasses include adverbs that describe the following categories:

Manner

The horses ran quickly/steadily/slowly/well/reluctantly.

Time

Our guest arrived yesterday/then/immediately.

Place

Your boss called here/somewhere/around/outside.

Degree

She is strikingly/incredibly/amazingly beautiful.

Frequency and Number

They met often/twice/seldom/frequently.

Duration

He always/still/briefly bragged about it.

As a sentence constituent, an adverb or any group of words that can substitute for an adverb is an adverb phrase.

An adverbial is a word or phrase that functions as an adverb would, modifying verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or the whole sentence.

An adverbial clause is usually introduced by a subordinating conjunction.

An adverbial complement is an adverbial word or phrase that completes the meaning of an intransitive verb.

An adverbial modifier are words that add information about how, when, where, why, or how much something happens.

Module 1 Concepts: Qualifiers

Qualifiers increase or decrease the quality signified by form-class words, usually adjectives and adverbs. Before a big test, it matters if you’re a little bit nervous, quite nervous, or very, very nervous.

Prototypical qualifiers usually precede adjectives or adverbs in order to decrease or increase the quality signified by the words they precede. Before a big test, it matters if you’re a little bit nervous, quite nervous, or very nervous.

Use the adjective sentence frame to identify most qualifiers:

• The handsome man seems ________ handsome.

• The handsome man seems very handsome.

• The handsome man seems quite handsome.

• The handsome man seems pretty handsome.

• The handsome man seems less handsome.

Some prototypical qualifiers can be phrasal: a bit, kind of, a little.

In peripheral cases, adverbs can occupy a qualifier position and perform a similar function:

• The handsome man seems intensely handsome.

• The handsome man seems excessively handsome.

Intensely and excessively remain adverbs. Note that unlike prototypical qualifiers, they can themselves be qualified: very intensely, quite excessively. In contrast, prototypical qualifiers like very and quite cannot take qualifiers: a little very and pretty quite do not parse.

Sometimes adverbs can occupy a qualifier position and perform a similar function:

• The handsome man seems intensely handsome.

• The handsome man seems excessively handsome.

Don’t confuse them though. Qualifiers are not adverbs!